BC-NY--New York News Digest, NY

December 28, 2018

Members can send stories and tips to apalbany@ap.org for upstate and apnyc@ap.org for the New York metro area. The New York desk can be reached at 212-621-1670. The photo desk is reachable at 212-621-1902.

A reminder: This information is not for publication or broadcast, and these coverage plans are subject to change. Expected stories may not develop, or late-breaking and more newsworthy events may take precedence. Advisories, digests and digest advisories will keep you up to date.

Some TV and radio stations will receive shorter APNewsNow versions of the stories below, along with all updates.

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TOP STORIES

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NYC ELECTRICAL FLASH-BLUE SKY

NEW YORK _ Electric utility Con Edison is working to figure out what caused a high-voltage equipment failure that unleashed an otherworldly flash of bright blue light in the night sky over New York City. The event caused power outages, briefly grounded flights at LaGuardia airport and filled social media feeds with eerie photos and wonder. SENT: 600 words, photos, video.

GRAND CENTRAL TUNNELS

NEW YORK _ Deep in the bedrock 15 stories below the famous Grand Central Terminal, a cavernous construction site is slowly, and expensively, taking shape as a commuter rail hub that will accommodate more than 150,000 passengers a day. SENT: 600 words, photos, video.

VATICAN-SEXUAL ABUSE

VATICAN CITY _ The Vatican has taken testimony from a man who says ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick sexually abused him for years starting when he was 11. The man came forward after the New York archdiocese announced that a church investigation determined that an involving a different former altar boy was credible. By Nicole Winfield. SENT: 500 words, photo.

POLICE OFFICERS-DEATHS

WASHINGTON _ More police officers have died in the line of duty this year in the United States than in 2017, according to data released Thursday. The states that experienced the highest number of officer fatalities were Texas, California, Florida and New York, with 11 fatalities each. By Eric Tucker. SENT: 375 words, photos.

GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

WASHINGTON _ It’s looking increasingly like the partial government shutdown will be handed off to a divided government to solve in the new year. Meanwhile, in New York, the chief judge of Manhattan federal courts suspended work on civil cases involving U.S. government lawyers, including several civil lawsuits in which President Donald Trump himself is a defendant. By Juliet Linderman and Lisa Mascaro. SENT: 975 words, photos, video.

WAR ROBOTS

CHELMSFORD, Mass. _ The Army is looking for a few good robots. Not to fight — not yet, at least — but to help the men and women who do. The big fight over small robots opens a window into the intersection of technology and national defense and shows how fear that China could surpass the U.S. drives even small tech startups to play geopolitics to outmaneuver rivals. Among prototypes: tank-sized unmanned supply vehicles that have been tested in recent weeks in the rough and wintry terrain outside Fort Drum, New York. By Matt O’Brien. SENT: 1,200 words, photos, video.

IN BRIEF:

_ NYC TRAFFIC DEATHS: New York City traffic deaths are poised to drop for a fifth straight year and set a new record low.

_ WOODSTOCK ANNIVERSARY: three-day music festival will be held in August 2019 at the original Woodstock concert site to mark the 50th anniversary of the historic event. AP Photos.

_ ROCHESTER-POLICE SHOOTING: Police in Rochester say an officer fired five shots at a 15-year-old teenager who was attempting to run down the officer in a stolen car.

_ CRASH-MAN KILLED: State police in upstate New York say a man was killed when his vehicle collided head-on with a tractor-trailer.

_ WIND TURBINE LAWSUIT: The New York Thruway Authority has filed a lawsuit against multiple companies over the failure of four wind turbines.

_ SMALL BUSINESSES-LOANS: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says the state has provided $188 million in loans to small businesses in 2018, creating thousands of jobs and retaining thousands of others.

_ NIAGARA FALLS PLANT CLOSING: The owners of a Niagara Falls manufacturing plant say it will close by Dec. 30.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

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TV-MRS MAISEL-FASHION

NEW YORK _ Fans of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” know that the New York-centered show’s clothes deliver eye-popping color and to-die-for style, but they might not know the costumes represent more than 1950′s couture. By Brooke Lefferts. SENT: 850 words, photos.

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SPORTS

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FBN--BILLS-WILLIAMS RETIRING

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. _ Defensive tackle Kyle Williams is retiring at age 35 after 13 seasons, a decision that leaves the Buffalo Bills without their most respected leader and longest-active tenured player. By John Wawrow. SENT: 575 words, photo.

HKN--SENATORS-ISLANDERS

NEW YORK _ The Ottawa Senators visit the New York Islanders. Game starts 7 p.m. AP Photos.

If you have stories of regional or statewide interest, please email them to apnyc@ap.org. If you have photos of regional or statewide interest, please send them to the AP state photo center in New York, 888-273-6867.